Fishing reel



Oct. 7, 1952 JMJ, ZETTS 2,613,044

FISHING REEL Filed June 17, 1948 2 SHEETS-*SHEET 1 [Nw/vm@ JosfPH- J. Zfrrs.

fzgWM/Mf// Hrm/@Mfr Oct. 7, 1952 J, J. `zriTTs; 2,613,044

FISHING REEL Filed June 17, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 www :a: im. Z0 28 m". [Z0 l' JosfP/f J. ZE T75,

Patented Oct. 7, 1952 N UNITEDy STATES PATENT OFFICE Joseph J Zetts, Gaithersburg, Md.

Application June 17, 1948, Serial No; 33,488

Typical prior artdisclosures dealing with'the problem here involved, over which the present invention constitutes a marked improvement, willbe'found' in the patents issued to Higbee, No. 1,398,721, dated November 29, 1921; Johnson, No. 1,960,491, dated May 29, 1934; James, No. 2,051,259, dated August 18, 1936; Babcock, No. 2,197,675, dated VApril 16, 1940; and, Nelson, No. 2,380,670, dated July 31, 1915- l By way of contrast to these patented disclosures, the present invention contemplates a reel comprising a frame, a base for securing the frame-to a support, a line spool journalled in the'- frame, a feed roller carried by the frame and rotatably interconnected `with the spool, and a line redirecting member yieldably biased to- Wards the feed roller to define a line receiving bight lying in a plane inclined to thev base at an angle exceeding 45, which angle is preferablyin excess of 60. The line receiving bight is preferably substantiallyv bisected by such a plane so vthat when the rollersare both in engagement with the line, the line will be driven upwardly and in some instances backwardly from between them and then through a line guide beyond the redirectingA member or roller in a direction substantially parallel to the base. The line redirecting member is preferably an idler roller journalled in the frame provided with one or 'more springs for biasingit towards the feed roller. The line guide member is preferably 1ocated remotely from the feed rollerso that when the line beyond the bight is under any apprecia` ble tension, the idler roller will move against the force of its biasing spring or springs to permit separation of the line from contact with the feed roller. l

The reel of the present invention may be characterized further as comprising a frame, a line spool journalled in the frame, a line feed roller'carried by the frame and rotatably inter-` y connected with the spool, aline.redirectingmember in a, direction inclined to the plane at an.-

angle between 45 and 90. The bight so formed is substantially bisected by the plane intersecting the spool and the guide means for receiving line beyond the redirecting member or roller'may provide a level wind arrangement. The lineredirecting roller is preferably adjustably journalled in the frame so that any` increase in tension on the line beyond a predetermined value will shift this roller in a direction away from the feed roller suiiicientlyto` permit the line to clear the feed roller. A driving member' is provided for actuating the spool and level wind :means combined with shiftableA means for selectively disengaging the driving means from the' spool.

A fishing reel employing the present invention may have its attaching flange extending forwardly from the frame, a linespool journalled in the frame, a feed roller rotatably intercon- .nected with the' spool, a presser member biased towards the feed roller to form af bight for directing line upwardly from the frame, and a guide member beyond the bight for delivering line forwardly from the frame. The structure also contemplates means interconnecting the feed roller and spool to imparta relatively highl er surface speed to the feed` roller' than to line on the spool at its full predetermined capacity; Since the attaching flange preferably extends fore and aft with respect to the frame, the spool and rollers will have substantially parallel axes perpendicular" to this fore and `aft direction. The presser or idler roller vbiased towards the feed roller may have the amount of bias adjusted so that the roller will yield at the desiredvalue of tension imposed on the line. l Y A more complete understanding of the invention will follow from a description of the attached drawings wherein: l v Fig. 1 is a perspective viewfof a reel' embodying the present invention; f Fig. 2 is aplan" view of the reeld'epicted in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevationtaken alongline Fig. 5 is a .fragmentary sectional` elevation taken along line 6,-6of

Fig; 3 is an elevation of the-crank end'of the Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken along line 1 1 of Fig. 3.

The reel depicted in these figures comprises a frame I having end plates l2 and I4 interconnected by a base i6 having an attaching ange I8 extending fore and aft, and by transverse rods or bars suitably secured to the plates by means of screws 22 as is customary in fishing reels generally. Each of the end plates is provided with a blind bore 24 threaded at its open forwardly directed end to receive a threaded plug 2E having a knurled head 2S, as shown in section in Fig. 6. Each of these bores receives a reciprocable piston Si] which is biased towards the closed end of the bore by means of a spring 32 interposed between the plug 25 and the piston 38. The ends of the pistons 3E) are provided with notches Sd formed partially therethrough as will be clear from Fig. 5, for the reception of bearings 36 which in turn f receive the ends of a shaft 38 carrying the roller 4@ dened by an open cylinder 42 having end plugs dit. This roller constitutes a presser, redirecting, or idler member, yieldable against the force of the springs 32 for movement in the inwardly opening slots 46 provided by the end plates l2.

.The roller lil defines a line receiving bight with a feed roller it whose shaft 59 is journalled in the frame andhas secured thereto a spur gear 52 in mesh with a gear 54 secured to the shaft 56 on which the spool 53 is xed. Since it is located relatively rearwardly of the reel the roller d8 can be conveniently engaged by the thumb of the user to produce a braking effect without necessie tating contact with the line itself.

The other end of the spool shaft carries a spur gear E6 in selective engagement with a spur 62 mounted on the driving shaft 64 to which the crank handle 66 is secured. The driving gear t2 is maintained in continuous mesh with a relatively thick spur gear 68 secured to the shaft of the level wind reversing screw ld. is depicted in Fig. '7, the driving shaft @il is axially movable to either of the two positions corresponding to the grooves l2 cooperating with a detent lll biased by a spring IB whose effective force can be adjusted by means of a set screw 1B projecting from `the boss Si) formed on the end plate I4. When the shaft Gli is moved to the right as viewed in Fig. 7, the spurs 60 and 62 will become disengaged, to produce a condition desired for casting, but the spurs 62 and 68 will remain in mesh so that the level wind nut 8i can be moved to a position that will bring the line to be wound in registry with that already on the spool. The level wind guide 82 carried by the nut 8|, is of a customarily inverted U type travelling back and forth between a pair of rods 34 whose ends are received in the end plates. The present invention may be incorporated in many types of reels, the structural details of which may vary appreciably. The reel depicted in the accompanying drawings has been made almost entirely of clear plastic, and it includes a click button B6 and a guard 88 for the reversing screw as have been shown.

4 Assuming that line is to be cast from the reel,

the shaft Eid will be retracted until the gears 68 and 62 are no longer in mesh, whereupon the line will be cast in the usual manner. As long as there is sufficient tension on the line 90 to overcome the force of the biasing spring 32, the roller dwill advance in its slots it so that the line being drawn from the spool 58 will be out of engagement with the feed roller 48. As soon as the tension on the line becomes small enough to be 4 overcome by the force of the springs 32, which can be adjusted by advancing or retracting the threaded plugs 26, the roller 4E! will force the line into contact with the feed roller 48 whose surface speed is always greater than the speed of the line 'being discharged from the spool by a predetermined amount. By properly selecting the gears 52 and Sii, the line between the spool and the bight will always be under tension during casting rendering it impossible for the line yto wind Vreversely upon the spool as so frequently occurs with reels of commercially known types.

Referring to Fig. 4 of the drawings, and bearing in mind the relative surface speeds involved. it will be evident that when the hook end of the fishing line strikes the surface towards which it has been cast, its velocity will be materially reduced, which will be reflected by a sudden slack throughout the length of the line. The inertia of the spool and its interconnected feed roller 48 will cause them to continue expelling line at a rate in excess of that required at this point, but since the line is delivered therefrom upwardly, and in many instances somewhat backwardly, there is little danger of fouling the line on the reel or on the rod. The bight defined by the feed roller and idler roller is substantially bisected by a plane intersecting the spool and inclined to the base at an angle exceeding 45. Such a plane inthe reel depicted, intersects the `center of the spool and defines an agle of approximately 70 in the second quadrant with respect to the flange or base of the reel.y line from the spool will be directed upwardly and rearwardly, and then forwardly, providing an arrangement which avoids fouling of line so frequently experienced with reels of ordinary manufacture, including those of the types shown by the prior art hereinabove considered- Whereas but one form of reelembodying the v present invention has been shown and described, this disclosure will suggest variations and modifications to those skilled in the art, along lines which have been recognized already by the present inventor. Accordingly, the present invention should not be restricted to the examples speciVf-M ically disclosed herein beyond the scope of the appended claims. i

I claim:

l. A fishing reel having a frame, an attaching"V flange extending forwardly from said frame, Ya: line spool journalled in saidv frame, a feed rollerff rotatably interconnected with Ysaid spool, a presser member biased towards said feedr roller.v to form a bight for delivering line upwardly andi. rearwardly from said frame, andv a guidevmember beyond said bight for delivering line forward-Y ly from said frame. l l y 2. A fishing reel having a frame, an attaching flange for a fishing rod extending forwardly from said frame, a line spool journalled in said frame, a feed roller having an axis fixed in said frame rotatably interconnected with saidVA spool, a presser member biased towards said feed roller to form a bight for delivering 'line'up` wardly away from said frame andthe plane of, the flange at an angle exceeding 45 with respect to the forward direction of said flange, and a.V guide member beyond said bight for-delivering',

line forwardly from said frame.

ing flange for a fishing rod extending'forwardly from said frame, a line spool and a feed' roller.V journalled in said frame, gearing interconnecting said feed roller with said spool to impartfav reif t Under these circumstances, v

atively higher surface speed to the feed roller than that attained by the spool periphery, a presser member biased towards said feed roller to form a bight for delivering line upwardly away from said frame and the plane of the flange at an angle always exceeding 45 with respect to the forward direction of said flange, and a guide member beyond said bight for delivering line forwardly from said frame.

4. A fishing reel having a frame, an attaching flange for a fishing rod extending forwardly from said frame, a line spool having a predetermined line capacity journalled in said frame, a feed roller journalled in said frame, gearing interconnecting said roller with said spool to impart a relatively higher surface speed to said feed roller than attained by line on said spool at full capacity, a presser member biased towards said feed roller to form a bight for delivering line upwardly away from said frame and the plane of the fiange at a minimum angle exceeding 45 with respect to the forward direction of said fiange, and a guide member beyond said bight for delivering line forwardly from said frame.

5. A fishing reel having a frame, an attaching fiange for a fishing rod extending fore and aft with respect to said frame, a line spool journalled in said frame, a feed roller carried on a fixed axis in said frame rotatably interconnected` through gearing with said spool, a presser roller biased towards said feed roller to form a bight for delivering line upwardly away from said frame and the plane of the flange at an angle exceeding 45 with respect to the forward direction of said flange, said spool and rollers having substantially parallel axes perpendicular to the fore and aft direction of said fiange, and a guide member forward of said bight for delivering line forwardly from said frame.

6. A shing reel having a frame, an attaching flange for a shing rod extending forwardly from said frame, a line spool journalled in said frame, a feed roller rotatably interconnected through gearing with said spool, a presser roller biased towards said feed roller to form a bight for delivering line upwardly away from said frame and the plane of the fiange at an angle exceeding 45 with respect to the forward direction of said fiange, means for adjusting the bias on said presser roller, and a guide member beyond said bight for delivering line forwardly from said frame.

7, A shing reel having a frame, an attaching flange for a fishing rod extending forwardly from said frame, a line spool journalled in said frame, a feed roller rotatably interconnected through gearing with said spool, a presser member biased towards said feed roller to form a bight for delivering line upwardly away from said frame and the plane of the flange at a minimum angle exceeding with respect to the forward direction of said flange, and a guide member beyond said bight for delivering line forwardly from said frame.

8. A fishing reel having a frame, an attaching fiange for a shing rod extending forwardly from said frame, a line spool journalled in said frame, a feed roller rotatably interconnected through gearing with said spool, a presser member biased towards said feed roller to form a bight for delivering line upwardly away from said frame and the plane of the flange at a minimum angle approximating with respect to the forward direction of said flange and a guide member beyond said bight for delivering line forwardly from said frame.

JOSEPH J. ZETTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent: i

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,041,376 Toepfer Oct. 15, 1912 1,579,076 Case Mar. 30, 1926 1,960,491 Johnson May 29, 1934 2,051,259 James Aug. 18, 1936 2,197,675 Babcock Apr. 16, 1940 2,201,476 Catucci May 21, 1940 2,209,166 McArthur July 23, 1940 2,380,670 Nelson July 3l, 1945 2,458,298 Polevoy Jan. 4, 1949 2,504,631 Bishoif Apr. 18, 1950 2,553,589 Hull et al. May 22, 1951 

